Book Review XXII: The Proving Ground

Fantastic book. I really recommend it. It is systematic, concise, short and sweet. Every page I read felt like telling me to reexamine my life. I should get hold of Pastor Kevin Gerald’s other books as well.

God tests Christians from time to time to promote us. While God doesn’t tempt anyone, He may allow it as a form of tests too. There are 9 tests Christians generally encounter. Pastor Kevin Gerald gave tips on how to pass the tests.

1.) Test of small things.It comes to prove our potential for greater opportunity. How to pass this test? We should see problems as opportunities, treat small opportunities as if they were our doorway to greater ones, show motivation in the small things of our everyday life, and make no excuses.

2.) The motivation test.It comes upon a person who is doing the right thing, to prove why they are doing what they are doing. We need to have the right reasons for going to church and giving, for example. Motivation is a matter of the heart. Hence, we should always pay attention to our heart. We may have wrong motives in doing the right things. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t stop doing a good thing. We should simply change the reason.

3.) The credibility testIt comes to prove our reliability and worthiness. We need to increase in favor with God and man. Credibility can’t be given. We must earn credibility when it comes to competence, personality and character.

4.) The wilderness test.It comes in the form of drought or dry season and it requires us to make necessary changes to enter the next level of prosperity. We should keep an attitude of gratitude, fix the problem and not the blame, and should not look back. It is important to remember in the wilderness that delay isn’t equal to God denying our prayer request and man cannot stop God’s blessing.

5.) The authority TestIt comes to prove our respect for the authority that God has put in our lives. To pass this test we should focus on our attitude toward authority. Our greatest test comes when we disagree with the authority. The right attitude includes: submission, respect, obedience and honor. The wrong attitude includes: rebellion, sedition, and insurrection. The authority may have had a wrong decision, moral failure, immature action,done unfair treatment and discrimination. Nevertheless, there are at least two right responses to wrong authority: 1.) appeal to higher authority. 2.) peaceful withdrawal from the authority’s jurisdiction.

6.) The warfare TestIt occurs when we are in the will of God and are experiencing problems. This test will prove how we respond to adversity. To pass this test, we need to possess the heart of a champion: the ability to take and give a punch.

7.) The offense testIt will come to prove that you are not easily offended and that you have the potential to readily forgive others. Offenses will come even if we do the right thing. To pass this test, we should be ready to overlook offenses and to get over it.

8.) The test of timeIt comes to prove the quality of your patience and confidence in God through the seasons in life. To pass this test, we need to make a plan and include God and others in the plan. In addition, we need to consider how our thought, word and action will affect us in long term.

9.) The Lordship TestIt occurs when we are in a position where we must choose to obey God over natural instincts. To pass this test, we must believe that God is always right and we must obey Him. It isn’t just in words, but we also obey Him in action.